realtalknic

I love me some grass! All kinds, colors, and shapes. Heehee. Decorative grasses. Come on now! The only I don't like is the messy take down and hard core splitting they require to keep them looking great. The splitting I will get to in the spring (come back here for a visit) and even though it's tough I love that I can double the amount of grasses I have with this chore. The fall chop however seems like a no brainer but the cleanup is a mess!!! Enter my omg, why didn't I think of this sooner, where the hell have you been all of my life trick! Oh yeah.....5 minutes! What is the trick? PACKING TAPE! Now I know there are tons of posts on duck tape but packing tale works wonder and the debris is easy to move and discard. I did all of these by myself with no partner. ( um.......some big guy I know does not like bugs........seriously!)  In addition to these fence blockers (these really break up the fence nicely) I have 5 mega monsters ( these just make you go , wow, what

Can you believe it's just 2 months until Christmas? I know, I know, many of you are in full blown Halloween mode. I get it. Don't rush. This time for me is all about prep and planning for my favorite day of the year! Christmas eve! Gift giving and entertaining make the season super festive but also super expensive. As I gear up with freebies and discounts on things people are shocked by I am often asked....how do you have time to do it....here are a few of my favorites and tips to make using them fun and easy! Remember.....the way to eat an elephant is one little bite at a time! LOL (who eats elephants anyway?) Same thing with holiday prep....a lil at a time is better to keep the spirits bright and the pockets not so light! Let's go! 1st up is my all time favorite!! EBATES!!! This is a must for ANYONE that shops online! You can sign up here or by clicking the ebates button on the right! Sign up for Ebates now!! The 1st thing you will see is your bonus. It may look like

It's fall y'all and for me this season marks another year to celebrate a birthday and be thankful. I like to think of it as a time to grab a fresh start. Unlike the pressure that comes with New Year's Resolutions I like to think this is a time for seasonal solutions!! As I write this I am feeling high on life....joy....gratitude. I'm telling you if I could package this I would be on the world's most wanted list. I have never tried drugs but ..............it can't be better. At this age I have seen lots of really great things and places and some really bad ones.....I've know some really great people and how to live in a world with some that are the opposite. With it all........I choose to make the most of every day.....find every bit of happiness I can squeeze out and bloom wherever I am planted! So....while I love moving my clock back at the end of this month....here is my list for Fall-ing Forward! Try some of them.....you may be pleased with the results!

If I see one more side eye, or hear one more disparaging remark about folks adopting outside of their race or same sex couples adopting children I may have to scream! These comments always seem to come from folks that have not adopted anyone so I am wondering how they became experts. While I have filled my home with various relatives from time to time and three kids of my own I have never adopted........but I am adopted and that experience gives me a strong point of view. In my case, my parents (mostly my Mom) saw someone else's bad situation of drugs and poverty and stepped in so a new baby wouldn't be added to that mix. Lower middle class themselves, a new mouth to feed wasn't in the plans......they were more Florida and James than Claire and Cliff  but they made it work for a short time. Then, MOM, made it work by herself for the rest of the time. No questionnaires and home visits......just a ride home from the hospital. And in that moment, I was saved from what was su